Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in New Zealand

New Zealand: Annual deforestation as a share of forest area was 0.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
0.1%
World rank
52nd
of 105 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2000
All-time low
0.0%
in 2015
Years of data
5
1990–2020

Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in New Zealand, 1990–2020

00.050.10.150.21990200520201990: 0.165 %2000: 0.183 %2010: 0.087 %2015: 0.013 %2020: 0.101 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 0.1% for annual deforestation as a share of forest area in 2020.

That represents a change of up 15.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual deforestation as a share of forest area in New Zealand peaked at 0.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2015.

New Zealand ranks 52nd of 105 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
2000s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
2010s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 2
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 49 Panama 0.1% compare
  2. 50 Indonesia 0.1% compare
  3. 51 Central African Republic 0.1% compare
  4. 53 Papua New Guinea 0.1% compare
  5. 54 Czechia 0.1% compare
  6. 55 Switzerland 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 105 places →

More environment data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual deforestation as a share of forest area in New Zealand?
Annual deforestation as a share of forest area in New Zealand was 0.1% in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest annual deforestation as a share of forest area recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2015.
How does New Zealand rank for annual deforestation as a share of forest area?
New Zealand ranks 52nd out of 105 countries with data for 2020.
Is annual deforestation as a share of forest area rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual deforestation as a share of forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual deforestation as a share of forest area
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
105 places, 525 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

Annual deforestation as share of forest area represents the yearly percentage of forest area lost due to deforestation relative to the total forest area.